Best Barbecue in America

Image that you go into a hamburger resturant that says Best Hamburger in America on the door. Or a Pizza Palor that says Best Pizza in America. Or an Ice Cream Stand that says Best Ice Cream in America. Now image that there are four other places in town that are also worthy of being called the Best In America. Is there anyway the hamburger, pizza, or ice cream could live up to the title Best in America? Well, no. Welcome to Jack Stack’s Barbecue in Kansas City.

The first KC Masterpiece I visited was basically a fine steakhouse that served barbecue. It was real restaurant, as opposed to Arthur Bryants which is a restaurant in that it serves food and there are tables, but it has no waiters and the atmosphere of a bus stop. The idea of serving barbecue in a fine resturant was a brilliant one, and I am not sure how KC Masterpeice dropped the ball and Jack Stack picked it up.

Several years ago I read a book about memory and stories and one of the stories was about the Michelin Guide. It said the Guide was really in love with fine service and nice tableclothes. The food had to be good, but secondary to excellent service and atmosphere. I have to guess that Zaget is much the same as Michelin.

I did not eat the signature dish of Prime Rib Barbecue at Jack Stacks. First, I don’t like beef ribs as a general rule, and second I didn’t want to pay almost thirty dollars for something I don’t normally like. So The Wife and I had a combo dinner of pork ribs, beef brisket, barbecued pork, and barbecued ham. We tried the Spice and Hot barbecue sauce. The three sides were French Fries, Barbecued Beans, and Creamed Corn. We had an appitiser of Burnt Ends, beef and Sausage.

This was good, maybe even great barbecue, but it was not the best in America, it was not even the Best in Kansas City. The Burnt Ends were the best I have ever had, I will give them that. The last Burnt Ends I had were at KC Masterpiece and they were a nasty bit of business. Jack Stack’s burnt ends were soft and tender, if a bit chewy. The sausage was great, especially with some of the hot sauce slathered on top.The brisket was good, but I am from Texas and great brisket is the stock and trade of all great bbq joints in Texas. It was good, but nothing out of the ordinary.The ribs were very good, but not as good as the ones down the road at KC Masterpiece. They were served dry and tasted good that way, but they were a bit better with some sauce added. The ham and the barbecued pork were also good, but not extrodinary. The creamed corn with cheese was good, but the best creamed corn I have ever had anywhere was at Rudy’s-one of the best barbq places in Texas and the country.The barbecued beans were extremely good. Sweet beans with bits of barbecue mixed in. Great stuff, but again, not much better than the barbecued beans down the road at KC Masterpiece.

So what was better than KC Masterpiece and Rudy’s? That whole steakhouse that serves barbecue idea. Nice tables and waitstaff, mood lighting, lots of dark wood. The menus are very pretty. The waiter was really impressed with words like amazing and awesome.

Is a pretty resturant more important than great barbecue? Not to me, but it must be to the people at Zagets.